Teachers of Tomorrow Implementation Guidelines
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TATE OF OUTH AROLINA S S C DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION MOLLY M. SPEARMAN STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION SECRETARY TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION Teachers of Tomorrow Implementation Guidelines South Carolina State Board of Education October 9, 2018 The South Carolina Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability in admission to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities. Inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies should be made to the Employee Relations Manager, 1429 Senate Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201, 803-734-8781. For further information on federal non- discrimination regulations, including Title IX, contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at [email protected] or call 1-800-421-3481. Contents The Legislative Mandate................................................................................................................. 1 Preface............................................................................................................................................. 3 Ineligibility for Program Admission or Participation ..................................................................... 3 Candidate Admission Requirements ............................................................................................... 3 Approved Certification Fields......................................................................................................... 4 Eligibility for Certification ............................................................................................................. 5 Statement of Eligibility ............................................................................................................... 5 Employer Supervision and Evaluation........................................................................................ 5 Year One Certificate and Employment ....................................................................................... 5 Year Two Certificate and Employment ...................................................................................... 6 Year Three Certificate and Employment .................................................................................... 6 Advancement to the Professional Certificate .............................................................................. 6 Extension Year Option ................................................................................................................ 7 Candidate Withdrawal from Teachers of Tomorrow ...................................................................... 7 Teachers of Tomorrow Implementation Guidelines i October 2018 Contents The Legislative Mandate S.C. Code Ann. § 59-26-30(A)(8) SECTION 59-26-30. Cognitive assessments for teachers and teacher certification; examinations; regulations. (A) In the area of cognitive assessments for teachers and teacher certification, the State Board of Education, acting through the State Department of Education, shall: (8) award a conditional teaching certificate to a person eligible to hold a teaching certificate who does not qualify for full certification under item (7) above provided the person has earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in a certification area for which the board has determined there exists a critical shortage of teachers, and the person has passed the appropriate teaching examination. The board may renew a conditional teaching certificate annually for a maximum of three years, if the holder of the certificate shows satisfactory progress toward completion of a teacher certification program prescribed by the board. In part, satisfactory progress is the progress that the holder of a conditional certificate should complete the requirements for full certification within three years of being conditionally certified; Regulation 43-51 Certification Requirements (IV)(D) D. An individual who is seeking certification through Teachers of Tomorrow must not be hired by a school district in South Carolina without completing the electronic fingerprinting process required by the teacher certification office of the South Carolina Department of Education at the time of application and without having undergone a criminal records check by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and a national criminal records check supported by fingerprints and conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation pursuant to Section 59-25-115(B). Background checks are valid for a period of eighteen months. 1. A person who is seeking certification through Teachers of Tomorrow, who has a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university or an institution with a teacher education program that has been approved by the SBE for certification purposes, who has earned a successful score on the certification content area examination approved by the SBE, and who has met the requirements of subsection D is considered to have met the requirements for certification and must be issued an appropriate alternative route certificate as determined by the SBE upon confirmation of employment by a public school or school district. The alternative route certificate must be valid for one year and may be renewed annually for two additional years upon the successful completion of teaching and of the hiring district’s induction program. 2. A person who maintains a valid Alternative Route certificate for Teachers of Tomorrow and has been initially hired by a school district must be required, as a condition for professional certification, to successfully pass the South Carolina adopted Teachers of Tomorrow Implementation Guidelines Revised Guidelines Approved October 9, 2018 Page 1 pedagogy examination and to demonstrate teaching effectiveness by a successful summative evaluation at the annual contract level as part of the state’s system for Assisting, Developing, and Evaluating Professional Teaching (ADEPT). 3. The SCDE shall submit annually by March thirty-first to the SBE and the General Assembly the total number of individuals employed in South Carolina with a certificate issued by Teachers of Tomorrow by district and non-privileged information on these individuals through the ADEPT reporting system. A person who has completed all requirements of this regulation and has been hired by a school district has the same responsibilities and rights as other teachers hired by the district. 4. The SBE is authorized to establish guidelines outlining the content areas in which candidates in Teacher of Tomorrow may pursue certification. S.C. Act 264 of 2018, Proviso 1.100. (SDE: Alternative Certification Programs) For the current fiscal year, the department, through the State Board of Education, is authorized to award a conditional teaching certificate to a person who is enrolled in an approved alternative certification program provided the person has earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a major, or major equivalence, as defined by the State Board of Education in guidelines developed by the department in a certification area for which the board has determined there exists a critical shortage of teachers, and the person has passed the appropriate teaching examination. Teachers of Tomorrow Implementation Guidelines Revised Guidelines Approved October 9, 2018 Page 2 Preface In 1984, to address critical teaching shortages in South Carolina, the South Carolina General Assembly provided for the establishment of alternative routes to certification in S.C. Code Ann. § 59-26-30(A)(8). In 2017, Teachers of Tomorrow was approved through amendments to Regulation 43-51 as a non-traditional educator preparation provider for the certification of individuals with at least a bachelor’s degree but who have not completed a teacher preparation program. Ineligibility for Program Admission or Participation An individual who has been enrolled in student teaching in a traditional teacher preparation program is not eligible for admission to or participation in a non-traditional or alternative route program. The candidate must meet the certification requirements of the traditional preparation program in which he or she was enrolled for student teaching and be recommended for certification by that provider. Additionally, an individual who fails to complete requirements for one non-traditional or alternative route program is not eligible for admission to or participation in another non- traditional route. An individual whose certificate is denied, suspended, or revoked pursuant to Regulation 43.58 will not be allowed to participate in or be readmitted to a non-traditional or alternative route program. Candidate Admission Requirements An individual who is seeking certification through Teachers of Tomorrow must meet the candidate admission requirements listed below. 1. The candidate must have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution or from an institution with teacher-preparation programs approved for certification purposes by the state of South Carolina. 2. The candidate must have earned a major in the certification subject area or a major equivalence in the certification subject area as defined by the State Board of Education (SBE). 3. The candidate must have earned a GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. The GPA in the content area major or the GPA in the last sixty hours of coursework may be used to meet this requirement.